(Read 2 Corinthians 12)
I used to love reading Aesop’s fables as a child. I had a book with his most popular ones with fantastic, colorful illustrations. I remember one in particular called “Androcles and the Lion,” which tells of a runaway slave named Androcles who finds a lion in pain due to a thorn in its paw. Androcles then removes the thorn. Later, when Androcles is captured and thrown to the lions as punishment, the same lion recognizes him and spares his life. On the surface level, the story’s moral can be construed as conveying kindness and compassion, which can lead to unexpected rewards. This plot is somewhat inverted from the principle Jesus showed us. We are kind and compassionate because we’ve already been spared from the lion’s jaws. If we’re being nice and expecting a payback, our behavior shows no grace or faith. There’s no love either.
Our daughter, who flew across the country to spend three days with her family, has been suffering from PTSD from a tragic accident in the mountains nearly four years ago. Thankfully, her boyfriend at the time survived the event, but the trauma lives on in their heads and lives. “I was in fight or flight mode after that,” she told me. “I turned the stress and pain of the accident into my career.” And boy, she did. The following year, she enrolled and graduated from a 1-year accelerated BSN nursing program, was recruited to work in the ICU of a large metropolitan hospital, and then left town for a smaller regional hospital where she is working in the ED. We talked at length yesterday, and she shared more about the ongoing challenge she’s living with from the accident. “I got so busy in my school and job that I never had time to heal. Everything was buried below the surface.”
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is considered an ongoing condition. The symptoms can be persistent and long-lasting, often requiring ongoing treatment and management. People like my daughter experience episodes of recurring, unwanted memories of the traumatic event, flashbacks, and nightmares. From what I’ve learned about the disorder, it’s not something you control; it’s something you manage.
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
2 Corinthians 12:7-8
No one knows for sure what Paul meant by the “thorn in the flesh,” but he gave some clues. Paul’s mission for Christ was a threat to Satan, and he wanted nothing more than to wipe him off the planet. Maybe the thorn was a constant threat of death, real or imagined? Paul didn’t use the words for sickness; he used “in the flesh,” so it was probably something that was a more significant source of irritation, causing him chronic distress and discomfort. We don’t know if his pain was physical, emotional, spiritual, or a combination of them all, but Paul’s clues tell us that God was more concerned with building up Paul than He was with making Paul feel better. The verse “keep me from becoming conceited” speaks directly to us about God’s disdain for us being puffed up.
Sometimes bad, lingering, painful, and tragic things happen to us because we bring them on ourselves. Sometimes they just happen. Either way, God uses these parts in our lives to knock down our pride and build us into better vessels. If God were always to remove our problems, what would we learn? Yes, we’d feel better, but then we’d never know sorrow or hurtful things. What happens, and it will happen, when the bottom-of-the-barrel things happen to us and our loved ones? Since being grateful and close to God is so easy when everything goes our way, why don’t we ever do it? Instead, we pepper him with our petition prayers when we face something awful.
Scholars believe Paul’s “thorn” might have been a disability, temptation, lingering pain from an event, persecution, opposition, or general weakness and fatigue. Considering his articulate and thorough writing, I’m surprised he never spelled out his problem. As with many lessons the Bible teaches us, the whys, whens, and hows don’t matter as much as thank you and I will.
Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10
Paul vividly described how his pleas to the LORD to remove his thorn were met with, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Talk about a wake-up call! It’s God’s way of saying, “You’re looking in the wrong place, buddy. That’s not what this is about.” This unmistakable reply underscored that leaning on God’s grace is much more vital than removing suffering. It conveyed the profound truth that divine strength shines brightest through our weaknesses, highlighting grace’s transformative and comforting power in our most vulnerable moments.
I’ve often wondered how much faith it takes to be content with emotional illness, chronic ailment or injury, or threats to life. We’re not programmed to handle these thorns ourselves, but we are given a Savior who is. The act of pleading three times signifies the intensity and desperation of Paul’s request, showing that even the most faithful and committed believers face profound struggles.
God’s response is meant to shift our focus from removing the hardship to relying on His grace, suggesting that the presence of suffering serves a greater purpose in the believer’s spiritual journey. God’s grace provides all that is necessary to endure and overcome challenges – even when we don’t feel it. It precedes, permeates, and penetrates our worst moments. Acknowledging and embracing our limitations allows God’s power to work more effectively. Turning our weaknesses and trials into victories lightens our burdens and makes us shine with the light of God’s glory.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
Romans 8:28-29
Pastor Andrew Taylor pointed out in a recent sermon that the Scripture “ doesn’t say that all things are good things; it says ALL things work together for the good of those who love God.” When things work together, God gets the glory, and if He gets the glory, it has to be good—good for His plan and ultimately good for us.
The Apostle Paul taught us there is a strange comfort in trials for believers facing challenges, reminding us that God is at work for their ultimate good even in difficult circumstances. Our challenges encourage us to trust in God’s sovereignty, assuring us that He brings purpose and meaning out of every situation. The familiar verse offers hope and assurance that God’s love and care extend to every aspect of life, demonstrating His faithfulness and commitment to His people.
Recently, it was discovered that a very close friend had frightening results from his bloodwork. He has made immediate changes to his lifestyle and diet. I don’t believe this is a one-time and it’s fixed change. I believe it will be a thorn in his flesh for the rest of his life. But the encouraging thing stems from my friend’s faith. He didn’t ask for this; I know he didn’t cause this, but he’s doing something about it and turning it over to God. His faith illuminates his new approach to life. Who looks good from this? Not my friend. It’s God’s work through him.
My daughter is finally healing. The bad memories are still there, but they’re finally able to bubble to the surface where, eventually, some will pop, and she’ll be able to move forward to the point of coping with it. Living in a small town, her life has calmed down and simplified. She uses gratitude and quiet time to foster positive growth and faith in God to do what He does best.
In many ways, it doesn’t matter why we’re suffering; it matters how we deal with it. God isn’t insensitive to our feelings and comfort; He wants us to know how much He loves us and that His life-saving grace saves us from things much worse than our emotional struggles, fatty liver, emotional issues, and other thorny problems. God could fix all of these things, but we would only feel better for a short while. God’s not saying don’t worry about our problems; He’s saying, I’ve got this. I’m a big God. My grace is all you need.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God
Ephesians 2:8
Life Applications:
- Paul teaches us that weaknesses can be opportunities for God’s strength to be displayed. When we encounter our own weaknesses, instead of being discouraged, we lean on God’s grace and power to overcome them.
- The thorn in the flesh reminds us that even faithful followers of God face difficulties. Encourage others to experience the fruits of perseverance and trust in God’s purpose and timing, knowing He can use our hardest trials for His glory.
- Pray, pray, pray. Whether we are in times of weakness or strength, maintaining a close relationship with God ensures that we stay grounded and aligned with His will.